The Apocalypse Trilogy: The Bard
This is an unfinished adventure fanfic by Malice the NightWing and Stormcloudtheskywing featuring their dragonsonas, Macaw and Mercury. Please comment and/or critique. Chapter One (Malice) The SkyWing palace of Queen Ruby was lit up with thousands of lamps, making it glow golden in the night. It towered majestically above the other dwellings, resting on the highest mountaintop. The tallest building in Pyrrhia, its highest spire was high above the clouds. It illuminated the deep black night. At the foot of the palace, a small RainWing shivered in the chilly night wind, looking up at the palace and the countless stairs she would have to climb to get to it. Her neck hurt from looking up. The RainWing had deep, vibrant indigo scales highlighted by bright orange and complimented by emerald green eyes. The undersides of her wings were also bright orange, her coloring reminiscent of a hyacinth macaw. And one of her wing membranes hung in tattered shreds. A tall SkyWing flew down from the palace to greet the RainWing. "Hey you! Aren't you the queen's court composer?" He called. "The banquet's starting! What's taking you so-" He stopped, noticing her shredded wing membrane. "...Oh. You can't fly?" The RainWing nodded, shivering. "I was going to take the stairs..." The SkyWing didn't seem to mind the cold. "Well, it's going to take an awfully long time for a flightless RainWing to get up there, won't it? Ugh. Well, it won't do to have you late. Here, I'll carry you up there." The SkyWing swooped down and grasped the RainWing in his talons, struggling to carry her up to the palace entrance. When they got to the grand doorways, he dropped her in a heap at the door. "Hope you can find your way up there, RainWing. 'Cause the queen isn't gonna like waiting for her guest entertainment." With that, the SkyWing flew away. The RainWing, whose name was Macaw, growled to herself as she stood up and strode into the palace. This was her first day on the job, and already she was in trouble. At least I have my compositions... ''She thought, clutching the precious papers to her. She had painstakingly written out sheet music for the court musicians, having just been hired as Court Composer. Macaw had grown up in the Sky Kingdom, having been found by a SkyWing mother as an egg, abandoned in the Rainforest Kingdom. She had even been in Scarlet's arena once, where she got her shredded wing. But now Scarlet was dead, and she might have a job. Macaw squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, and entered the palace. The hallways were hung with bright, intricate tapestries and lined with solid gold and flashing rubies making mosaics on the walls. It had a rich velvet rug on the floor. Macaw gaped at the splendor of the palace, just as she entered the banquet hall. She was greeted by the sudden silence of about a hundred guests, all seated around the table, staring at her. Macaw gulped and attempted a nervous grin. "Uh, hi! Sorry I'm late... I'll.. Just go over here..." She scooted over to the court musicians, a couple of bored-looking SkyWings, and threw them the sheet music. They hastily took it and started playing, giving her some nasty looks in the process. Macaw sat back, excited, as the SkyWings started playing a dramatic fight-scene type song. The guests started giving her weird looks. ''Oh well, if they can't appreciate music, that's their problem! Soon, Macaw began to grow bored. There was no point in her being here. "I'm sure Queen Ruby would be fine with me poking around here..." She murmured to herself. She quietly slipped out of the room, stalking down an empty, quiet hallway. Her footsteps echoed across the empty chamber, and she looked around at the tapestries on the walls. The tapestries seemed to be getting older and older as she made her way down the hall, some faded, some torn, and some decayed. Macaw suddenly noticed the hallway was getting darker and darker. At the end of the old hallway, she could barely see anything. Suddenly, a ghostly laugh echoed around the hall. Macaw froze, pressing herself against the wall. The tapestry across from her... The ancient picture of a dragon embroidered there seemed to be moving. The ghostly laugh sounded again. "Here, here!" A raspy voice shrieked, strident and raucous as nails on a chalkboard. Macaw could hear her heart pounding. What was going on? Suddenly, a plume of flame blew onto the unlit hallway torches, illuminating the hall. The voices stopped, and the tapestry looked like it had before- a faded piece of cloth, decayed at the edges. A SkyWing strode down the hall towards Macaw. "Macaw? What's going on here?" Macaw sighed in relief. "Just wanted a break from the noise." She said, following the SkyWing back into the banquet hall. But she could hear her voice shaking. What had happened in the hallway? Was it a vision of some sorts? Macaw didn't know. But she didn't want to find out. Chapter Two (Stormcloud) Mercury shuffled through the dark trees. Strange noises echoed, bouncing off her ears and diving into her wings. She looked backward in the direction of the NightWing camp. Tears welled in her eyes. She turned away, refusing to feel sorry for herself. "Hey, hey,"a raspy voice shrieked. To Mercury, it sounded like the old dragons when they pretended to be the evil Darkstalker. "Largeteeth? Is that you? I'm not scared, come into the light!" Mercury fought hard to keep the terror out of her face and voice. She shoved it into her heart, causing her whole body to shake uncontrollably. "What was that?" She whispered back to herself. Mercury desperately wanted to run to her parents. But she knew she couldn't. She'd disappointed them too much this time. All she wanted to do was make her parents proud. But that would never happen now. She might've caused Queen Glory to kick them all out of the Rainforest! If her parents saw her now, they'd surely be angry. "MERCURY!" A voice in the dark called her name. Mercury recognized the voice as her mother's. She looked to the moon for comfort. She always felt relaxed staring at it's white shimmer that matched her scales. She flicked her tail, cutting a bit of grass with the animus-touched dagger at the end of her tail. Mercury rattled her brain trying to think of what to do. She couldn't face her mother, that much was clear. "MERCURY, DARLING! PLEASE COME HOME!" Moongazer, Mercury's mother, sounded desperate, but Mercury wasn't fooled. Her mother was furious. She had to be. Mercury willed her scales to blend her into the moonlight. She squeezed her eyes shut and Her parents and a small group of NightWings walked by her moonlit hiding place. The moonlight did hide Mercury's moon-colored scales and the search-party walked right by their prize. "Mom! Mommy, I love you!" Mercury desperately wanted to cry that to her mother, but no words came out. When the search-party left, Mercury climbed out of her hiding spot and looked around. "Hey hey!" The screechy voice called again. Mercury's heart pounded against her whispered orders. The voice repeated its words, growing louder and louder. Mercury passed out from fright. Chapter Three (Malice) Macaw started the long journey to her home village in silence. For a normal dragon, it wouldn't take nearly this long. But for a flightless dragon... By the time she got home, it was almost morning. Her compositions lay strewn across her desk. She collapsed on her bed, falling asleep the second her head hit the pillow. It was a fitful night of sleep. In her dreams, shrieking paintings screamed as they were burned by a roaring blue flame, and a huge castle made of lava shook with laughter. When she woke up, it was about noon. Rubbing the sleep from her green eyes, she drowsily got up, stumbling out of her bed. And then she realized she wasn't in her room. She screamed as she realized that she was in the lava castle from her dream. The whole castle shook, and laughter resonated throughout the halls. "Someone help me!" She screamed, crying as the dream, or vision, or whatever it was, flew into pieces. And then she woke up. Her eyes flew open, and she looked around the room, sighing in relief. Regular compostions piled on the table. Ink spilled on the floor. Her regular home... A dream within a dream within a dream within a dream... ''A voice echoed in her head, erupting in raspy cackles. Like a zombie, Macaw started out of the house, dazed, starting towards the SkyWing palace. ''Where there are dragons. Dragons who can protect me from this madness... She nearly ran into another dragon on her way out. It was a bored-looking orange SkyWing. "Oh!" He said as he saw her. "Are you Macaw? Court composer?" Macaw nodded vigorously. The dragon sighed, rifling through his papers. He pulled out an envelope and held it out to Macaw, who took it eagerly. As the SkyWing flew away, Macaw's smile faded as she saw the letter inside. Dear Macaw, Thank you for your service in Queen Ruby's court. It is appreciated. However, Her Majesty thinks that it is not suitable for you to continue your efforts, as it seems your compositions are overly stressful and dramatic for a court. You have been asked to resign your work here. In short, you're fired. Macaw stared at the paper for a long time until her eyeballs felt like they were burning up. Finally, in a fit of rage, she tore the paper to shreds. "Fired?" She growled to no one in particular. "FIRED?! JUST BECAUSE MY COMPOSITIONS ARE DRAMATIC FIGHT SCENE MUSIC?!?!?!?!" A couple SkyWings on the street turned to stare for a moment, then went back to whatever they were doing. Growling to herself, Macaw marched back to her house. Well, what am I going to do now? Chapter Four (Storm Cloud) Mercury awoke in the rainforest infirmary. Her parents were hovering beside her. "Mom?" Mercury sat up. "I'm here, honey!" Moongazer said. "And guess what!" I'm being sent away because you hate me? "You're going away!" You don't have to sound so excited. This was just like Mercury's mother to want to send her away. "Where am I going?" Mercury asked Moongazer grin was so tight, Mercury was afraid it would burst off her jaw. "You're the new SkyWing composer!" Mercury froze. What. SkyWing composer? "Mom? Really? SkyWing? Their kingdom is across the continent! Plus, I'm not that good!" Mercury shook her head in refusal. She could write music, sure! But worthy for the SkyWing Queen? No. She couldn't, shouldn't, nor wouldn't do this. "Sweetie, she pays! She pays a lot. We could buy our own palace by your third payment!" Mercury froze again, but this time in thought. She could be rich. Sweet! "Great! You guys can totally come live in my palace!" Moongazer arched an eyebrow. "It's my palace." She said. Mercury frowned. That wasn't right. She was the composer, not her Mom! "But I'm doing the work!" Mercury complained. Moongazer looked at Mercury. "Darling," then she stopped and looked thoughtful. "let me talk to your father about it!" Mercury smiled. That would have to do, but Moongazer would probably convince her father anyway. That's how these things work. Landing, Mercury gasped. The Sky Kingdom was beautiful. The buildings were gold and ivory, the center building was ruby red. That must be the palace, Mercury gasped. It was the most beautiful thing in Pyrrhia! She walked up to it and stepped through the main entrance "You! What are you doing!" A guard walked up to Mercury, growling. He carried a long spear and didn't seem afraid to use it. Two other guards peered around the main entrance gates. The big guard waved them back to their posts. "No one's allowed in the palace if they're not given an invitation by the queen." He said. "I'm the new composer!" Mercury called, trying not to shake. "The Queen wanted me?" The large guard flicked his tail but nodded. He led her further into the palace. Then, he turned and walked back to guard the entrance. Mercury walked through the hallway. She heard the voice again. "Hey hey!" The loud, screechy voice rang through the hallway. Fear surged through Mercury. She ran through the hall as fast as possible. She had to find out what that was! "Hey Hey!" She had to find out what that was!.....but not now. Now was the time to run! Mercury burst through the halls. A guard was there, doing his job in front of an elaborate-looking room. "What are you doing? The castle is closed, go home!" He growled at her, poking her with a spear. Mercury waved the spear away with her wings. "I'm the new composer!" She responded angrily. "And if this is how I'm treated, all the queen's songs will be angry!" The guard shook his head, "Not now. Go home!" He chased after her until she was out of the palace. Mercury reluctantly left, grumbling about "the terrible composer service". On her way to the hut she was staying at, she saw a RainWing with a messed up wing. "Hey! Do you need help?" She asked. Mercury immediately put the injured wing on her back so that the RainWing didn't have to carry the weight. "Where's your hut?" She asked. "I'll take you there!" Chapter Five (Malice) Macaw, utterly dazed and startled, mumbled "Well, actually, I live here..." She sighed. She bit her lip, looking back at the place she was supposed to live. "At least... I was supposed to live here. I got fired." Mercury looked at her, concerned. "But... This Category:Fanfictions Category:Fanfictions (Fanon) Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete) Category:Genre (Adventure) Category:Collaborations Category:Content (Malice the NightWing)